The GOP tax plan and the federal debt … why does it matter?

The tax cuts the Senate approved in the wee hours of Saturday morning are expected to add at least $1 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade. That’s according to the Senate’s own Joint Committee on Taxation. And that’s after taking into account a boost to economic growth generated by tax cuts. So what does that mean, exactly, for the economy? And why is it so hard to get people to care?

Amy Scott is Marketplace’s senior education correspondent. In addition to covering the K-12 and higher education beats, she files general business and economic stories for Marketplace programs and marketplace.org, drawing from her experience covering finance in New...